After arguing over her use of cell phone at the wheel, a woman took her car to chase a cyclist before ramming him into a tree. The driver faces three years in prison.

Damien Doughty is the cyclist and now facing major injuries. The driver is Justine Henshaw-Bryan, who claimed that her husband took the wheel.

However, the judge told Justine that she used her vehicle “as a weapon” to harm the cyclist. She could have killed him, the judge told her.

Statement

“Those who are unable to control their temper while driving and feel that cyclists are fair game must be dealt with severely.” Judge Gregory Perrins stated.

The judge was surprised and said that Justine must have known the consequences of her actions.

“This was a calculated attempt to run him over and use your car as a weapon. It would have been obvious that to do so would have carried significant risk of injury.” The judge concluded.

“[I was] exceptionally scared. You can hear the engine revving really close to you. I remember the car rear ending me, kind of letting out a scream and realizing what was happening. I crumbled into a heap on the floor, and I am in extreme amounts of pain,” the cyclist explained.

Victim

Doughty, a 38-year-old man, spent two weeks at the hospital including three days in intensive care. Her major injuries were liver injury, a broken hand as well as a punctured lung.

Aside from the jail sentence, the judge gave Justine a four-and-a-half-year driving disqualification and six penalty points.

In the court, Justine was devastated and kept looking at her family. “I love you mummy, I love you daddy.” she shouted.